Athlete of the Week: Casten Propels Football Past Holy Cross

Senior running back Andrew Casten knew he was going to have a big workload on Friday night when the Harvard football team took on Holy Cross. But he definitely didn't foresee his immediate success.

“To be honest, I really didn’t know what to expect,” Casten said after the game.

No one could blame him. After all, this was Casten’s first career start in a college backfield.

But thrust into the spotlight after injuries to two other Crimson running backs, Casten made it seem like there was no transition at all. Over the next several hours, the senior rushed for three touchdowns and amassed over 150 yards on the ground.

“The thing about Andrew is he’s a much improved player even from last year,” Harvard coach Tim Murphy said. “He gives us big back capability with great feet and vision, a combination that’s great.”

On opening night under the bright lights of Harvard Stadium, the senior ran his team to a 41-18 win over Holy Cross.

From the outset, Casten established himself as a threat and outgained all Crusaders rushers combined.

Casten’s stats were even more striking considering that he ran for 151 yards and one touchdown all of last season. On Friday night, Casten needed only 17 carries to top both marks.

He also became the first Harvard player to rush for three touchdowns in a single game since Treavor Scales ’13 did so midway through the 2012 season.

“We knew we were going to have to run the football and take it to these guys,” Casten said. “Our offensive line is the strongest group of this team…. Those guys open up the holes and make my job easy.”

Harvard’s first score of the season came on Casten’s first carry of the game. Taking the ball at the three-yard line, the running back absorbed a hit and plowed into the end zone for the touchdown.

Two more quarters would elapse before Casten added an additional six points. With Harvard clinging to a two-point lead, the senior received a handoff from quarterback Conner Hempel and blasted past the Crusader defense to go nearly untouched for an 18-yard score.

The back had not finished, though. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Casten completed a 52-yard Harvard drive by muscling in a three-yard run for his third touchdown of the day.

The 5’11”, 210-pound senior operates differently than most of the backs on the Crimson roster. While junior Paul Stanton—the team’s normal starter—earned second team All-Ivy honors last year by skirting and blowing by defenders, Casten relies on his power to gain yards.

“It’s the old thunderfoot and lightfoot,” Murphy said. “You can probably guess who’s lightfoot and who’s thunderfoot.”

Harvard can only benefit from the different looks out of the backfield. When Stanton returns, it’s possible that Murphy will lean on Casten in short-yardage situations.

But Friday also demonstrated Casten’s ability to break loose for a big gain early in the fourth quarter. Thanks to a hole created by blockers up front, Casten burst through the line and made his way to the left sideline, along which he ran furiously until a defender brought him down.

The play totaled 52 yards. By contrast, the longest run of the 2013 season for Casten went for a mere 12.

“The [offensive line] blew the guys off the ball,” Casten said. “I don’t know if the safety wasn’t coming up, but I somehow made him miss and was chugging along down the sideline. [Stanton] would have scored there.”

Stanton remains questionable for this Saturday, so it’s possible that Casten will receive another start in an Ivy League game against Brown. Regardless of whose name is called, the Crimson will hope to see more of the same from its backfield.

“Our offense starts with the front line, and those guys were outstanding [Friday], in my opinion,” Hempel said. “Casten just did a great job hitting the holes, making people miss.”

—Staff writer David Steinbach can be reached at david.steinbach@thecrimson.com.